Hi! :) I recently read Clockwork Prince and LOVED it! I can't wait for Clockwork Princess, so I'm going to carry it on by myself. :) Just some fun, an alternate ending I guess. I haven't said who the pairing his because I actually can't decide between Jem and Will :) I do not own the Infernal Devices or characters. Enjoy!
It was a chilly evening in London, and Tessa Gray stood on the bridge with her fiancé, James – Jem – Carstairs. It was nice to have some time alone, to escape the tortured look in Will Herondale's eyes when he saw them together.
The couple were laughing quietly on something that Jem had said, their arms linked as they stopped to stare out at the river Thames.
"What a beautiful sight." Tessa sighed, leaning against Jem as she looked up at the full moon. He murmured something in agreement, gently placing an arm around her shoulders.
"Let us hope that we avoid werewolves tonight." He joked. Tessa drew back, her eyes wide. She still wasn't wholly familiar with the ways of the Downworlders and Shadowhunters, and was very gullible on the matter. Will liked to tease her about it constantly.
"Werewolves?" she said, glancing around nervously. Jem chuckled, smiling warmly. "Do they change only on a full moon?" She didn't seem fully convinced, but frightened all the same.
"No, I was only joking." He said, trying to suppress a laugh as she glared at him playfully through her large, grey eyes.
"Well it certainly was not funny," Tessa folded her arms across her chest, staring out at the water. "You very nearly gave me a heart-attack!" To this Jem laughed again, and Tessa could not help but smile.
She took his hand again, and began to continue their walk across the bridge. She tried to block out the memory of walking on a bridge similar to this with Jem, when they were attacked by Mortmain's automatons. Jem felt her stiffen beside him and stopped walking, frowning with worry.
"Tessa? Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded, and gave him a smile.
"I am fine. I was just reminded of Blackfriars Bridge." She explained.
"Perhaps we shouldn't be out so late, if it makes you feel uncomfortable." Oh, Jem. Always worrying.
"No, no. I'm fine, really." Tessa smiled. She really did. Ever since Charlotte was able to keep the Institute, Nate died, and Benedict was exposed – to the Institute, at least – Tessa and the other suspected that Mortmain would be lying low, conjuring up a new plan.
They weren't sure, of course. Mortmain was a cunning man, and just might have a back-up plan. The Shadowhunters were still on alert and searching for the Magister, but Tessa felt safe leaving the Institute with Jem. He still carried around his walking stick with the dragon's head, which she knew revealed a blade when a hidden button was pressed.
"Alright." He surrendered, trying to find a new topic. An idea struck him, and he grinned.
"Have you been thinking about the wedding?" he asked Tessa, who looked at him with a matching smile.
"Of course!" she said. "Although admittedly it has been rather difficult to plan it all. Especially since I do not know what kind of wedding it will be." She bit her lip.
"Whatever you want it to be." Jem told her encouragingly. He didn't want her to worry about the fact that he was a Shadowhunter and she was not. In fact, she didn't even know what she was. Nor did anyone else but Mortmain. He had 'created' her.
Tessa nodded, mentally still worrying. She wanted everything to be perfect for her and Jem.
. . .
"...Impossible!" Tessa heard Will's voice echo through the corridor. It was the morning after her walk with Jem, and already something terrible had happened. She just didn't know what – yet.
"It had to be someone in the Institute." Will spoke loudly again. Filled with curiosity, Tessa stepped out of her room, dressed for the day in a simple blue gown. Her hair was tied in a neat bun with tendrils of her dark hair slipping down to rest on her left shoulder. Sophie had placed a few small blue flowers in her bun after completing, and Tessa couldn't help but think that they reminded her of Will's eyes.
Jem's room was only a few doors down from her own, and easy to reach. She knocked gently three times on the door, waiting patiently for it to be opened. As expected, Will opened the door, looking surprised to see her.
"Tessa." He greeted her. "Did you hear my racket?" he smiled.
"I did. Has something happened?" she asked. Jem appeared behind Will, his eyes red and dark bags hanging under them.
"It appears," he said. "That I have been...Robbed."
"Robbed?" Tessa frowned. Jem gestured for her to enter, and Will stepped aside, allowing her to walk past. It was still a small space, and she flinched from his warm breath on her neck.
Jem's room looked perfectly normal, his bed made and his desk neatly organised. The blinds were opened, allowing light to stream into the room. She was about to ask her fiancé exactly what had been stolen, but he opened the small box in which he kept his yin fen, the drug that sustained his life. Inside was a small pouch tied with a blood red ribbon.
"That is all that's left." Will explained, although Tessa had come to that conclusion by herself. "The rest has been taken." She gasped, putting her hand over her mouth and shooting Jem a worried glance.
"Who would do this?" she whispered in horror. The contents of the small pouch looked like it was enough to last about two weeks, no more. Yet again, they seemed to have a two-week deadline.
"Will thinks it was someone in the Institute." Jem suggested. Tessa turned on Will.
"That's impossible!" she insisted.
"Is it? If you haven't noticed, we have had quite a few newcomers. Agatha, Cyril, Gideon..." he paused. "Cecily." Tessa's eyes widened.
"I am sure Cyril and Gideon would never do such a thing. Agatha has a disturbing mind, indeed, but I doubt she even knows of Jem's need for it!" Tessa took a breath. "And Cecily – she is your own sister." She calmed herself, facing Will's glare.
"That does not make her any more trustworthy. If anyone, you should be the one to know about sibling betrayal." He said. For a moment she was furious. I never betrayed Nate! But she quickly reminded herself that he worked with Mortmain.
"You know Cecily, Will. More than anyone else here. Do you think she did this?" Tessa asked, taking a deep breath. Will was silent, fighting a mental battle. Jem stood beside him, watching closely. All eyes were on him.
Instead of speaking, he stormed out of the room. He didn't seem very angry, and even his parabati looked surprised as Will's sudden departure. They hurried after him, Tessa lifting up her skirts so that she could jog alongside Jem.
They followed Will to Cecily's room, where she had been staying for only a few days. Charlotte had accepted the young girl immediately – much to Will's odd protest – and settled her in. She had not begun training yet, but was due to join Tessa and Sophie with Gideon in a few days' time.
She found in incredulous that Will could blame his young sister for taking Jem's medication, but did not speak a word as they approached Cecily's room.
"Will!" She said happily, glancing at Tessa and Jem with a frown.
"Hello, Cily." He called her by the nickname Tessa had heard a few times before. It sounded like 'silly', and she knew Will probably did it to annoy his sister.
"You know I hate it when you call me that, Willy." She grinned, using her own nickname for him. Will turned serious.
"Cecily, may I talk with you in private?" he asked, aware of Jem and Tessa behind him. Cecily accepted, although it was clear that the sentence was meant for them as well.
"Come on." Jem whispered, taking Tessa's hand. She nodded and let him lead her down the hallway.
"Have you told Charlotte?" she inquired.
"No. But I doubt she knows anything about it. If she had taken it for whatever reason, she would tell me first." He paused, thinking. "And whoever left the pouch made it very obvious that they'd taken some of the yin fen. There are a million ways they could have taken some without me noticing."
"Perhaps they were leaving you some sort of message." Tessa suggested, sick to her stomach at the thought of an enemy freely sneaking into the Institute.
"I think they only wanted to scare us." Jem said softly. "To intimidate us."
They were silent as they walked, hand in hand, to the dining hall. Charlotte, Henry, Gideon and Sophie were already seated. Agatha's miserable ballad drifted from the kitchen, her Irish accent disguising some words.
They sat, and Jem explained to Charlotte and Henry what had happened in a hushed tone, making sure that Gideon did not overhear. Even Sophie knew very little about his illness.
Breakfast passed quickly, the only conversation revolving about the disappearance of the yin fen. Sophie and Gideon were excluded, but seemed happy about it.
Will and Cecily were absent, which seemed odd. After all, Will was only asking a did-you-or-did-you-not question.
The entire day passed somewhat like the morning. Gideon and Sophie went out, but everyone else stayed inside. Will appeared infrequently, talking to everyone he thought was a 'suspect'. Tessa did not get any wedding planning done, but she was glad to take a break from it. She trained briefly with Gideon, Sophie, and Cecily. Cecily was red-eyed and quiet, but Tessa didn't ask her about it. Instead, she caught Will on her way to her room after their evening meal.
"Will!" she called, hurrying to catch up with him. He slowed, glancing at her.
"Yes?"
"What did you say to Cecily?" she demanded. "She looks as if she has been crying."
"That's none of your business." Will said in a cold, clipped tone.
"Perhaps not, but I cannot let you -" she struggled for the right word. "Bully her." He began to walk faster, deserting her.
"William!" she called. "I am speaking to you!" he turned briefly, with no trace of anger on his face.
"I told her to go home." He admitted. "Back to my parents." Tessa was shocked. Why would he do that?
"What? Why?"
"My parents have already lost Ella and me," he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "They cannot lose her, as well."
Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but could not think of anything to say. Taking the opportunity, Will stormed away, disappearing quickly into the maze of the Institute.
. . .
Back at her room, Tessa changed into her nightgown without aid from Sophie, carefully taking the flowers from her hair. She shook her brown hair loose, pulling it behind her ears. She slumped down on her bed, exhausted despite staying indoors all day. Her limbs were sore from training, no matter how short it had been, and her mind swam with worry for Jem. She felt something digging into her chest and sat up, feeling around on her soft mattress until she found an envelope. She frowned, not recognising the handwriting.
Theresa Gray was written in an elegant, spidery hand in the middle, in blue ink. Neatly she opened it, pulling out the piece of folded paper inside. She unfolded it, holding it nearer to the light so that she could read it.
Miss Gray,
If you would like for the return of James Carstairs' yin fen, you must do precisely what I ask.
On the fourteenth, in two days' time, go to the warehouse where Nathaniel was killed. Come alone, or Mr Carstairs will die. Do not speak of this letter or our meeting to anyone, or the consequences will be severe - for them. You ought to know by now, we have another ally within the Institute, and they will know if word of this letter escapes. I hope to see you soon.
Axel Mortmain
Gasping, Tessa dropped the letter, her whole body shaking. Even through her terror, her mind was made up. In two days, she would hand herself over to Mortmain.
Please forgive me, Jem.
Hope you enjoyed! Please review! :D